By Rebecca Kenny
Today I crashed my car and now
Several parts of me are broken. My spine
Was chipped, breastbone split;
My pelvis divided into two and yet I am
Still here and lucky to be awake and alive.
But -
I did all I could. Followed all rules -
Seatbelt. Speed limit. Steer into the skid.
Don't drive drunk. Don't text. Keep a two-second gap.
I did it all, and more than that -
It still didn't stop the crash.
The reason? Oil across the road.
An issue totally beyond my control -
I could have prepared myself for any situation
And I still would have veered
Into oncoming traffic.
So why are we telling our women to be more savvy?
To flag down a bus or hail a taxi?
Dangerous men are just like oil on the road -
Impossible to avoid. Impossible to decode
In the seconds before disaster.
Nobody has told me I should have driven better -
So let’s stop asking women to somehow avoid danger.
About Rebecca Kenny:
Kenny is a teacher and poet from Liverpool. She writes about life, love and all the mundane parts of existence that make her feel something. You can find her on IG @rebeccakennywrites. She also is leading the Write Outside creative retreat in April 2022.